mcilvaine.p65 164 College & Research Libraries March 2004 Selected Reference Books, 2003 Eileen McIlvaine This article follows the pattern set by the semiannual series initiated by the late Constance M. Winchell more than seventy years ago and con­ tinued by Eugene P. Sheehy. Because the purpose of the list is to present a selection of recent scholarly and general reference works, it does not pretend to be either well balanced or comprehensive. A brief roundup of new editions of standard works is provided at the end of the articles. Code numbers (such as BD111) have been used to refer to titles in the Guide to Reference Books, 11th ed. (Chicago: ALA, 1996). Religion Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition. Eds. Jaroslav Pelikan and Valerie Hotchkiss. New Haven: Yale Univ. Pr., 2003. 4 volumes + CD-ROM. $995 (ISBN 0-300-09391-8 [set]). LCCN 2003-043067. When Jaroslav Pelikan, Sterling Professor Emeritus of History at Yale University, produces a work on the history of Chris­ tian faith—no matter how wide the scope—attention must be paid. During a career of nearly fifty years, Pelikan’s works have examined Christian tradi­ tions and doctrine over a span of sixteen centuries, from their Jewish roots through the tumult of the Counter-Reformation. Now, with Valerie Hotchkiss, a professor of Medieval Studies at Southern Method­ ist University and director of the Bridwell Library at SMU’s Perkins School of The­ ology, Pelikan has provided a comprehen­ sive and easy-to-consult guide to profes­ sions of Christian faith, from its roots in the Hebrew Shema through the recent “Common Declaration” of Pope John Paul II and Karekin I, the Catholicos of the Armenian Church. The spiritual ancestor of this work is Philip Schaff’s 1877 collection, The Creeds of Christendom (BC311), which, in its re­ vised three-volume edition, includes texts from scriptural roots through early- twentiety-century Protestant church unions, such as the 1932 combination of the English Wesleyan Methodist Church, the Primitive Methodist Church, and the United Methodist Church into The Meth­ odist Church. Schaff’s collection was un­ precedented in its scope and thorough­ ness. He included facing-column English translations in many places—though some early creeds were presented in Greek and Latin only—and began his col­ lection with a doctrinal history of the church. This new work is divided into four volumes, with an accompanying CD­ ROM that includes texts of all translated works in their original languages, allow­ ing the editors to conserve space and thus include a greater variety of texts. Volume Eileen McIlvaine is Head of Reference in Butler Library, Columbia University: e-mail: mcilvain@columbia.edu. Although it appears under a byline, this list is a project of the reference depart­ ments of the Columbia University Libraries and notes are signed with the initials of the following staff members: Karen L. Green (Ancient and Medieval History Librarian); Mary Cargill, Robert H. Scott, Junko Stuveras, Sarah Spurgin Witte (Butler Library); Fadi H. Dagher (Lehman Library): Nancy Friedland (Media Library); Elizabeth Davis (Music Library). 164 mailto:mcilvain@columbia.edu Selected Reference Books, 2003 165 I, “Early, Eastern, and Medieval,” is sub­ divided into the early church, the East­ ern Orthodox tradition, and the medieval West. Volume II covers the Reformation Era, and Volume III brings the reader up­ to-date with “Statements of Faith in Mod­ ern Christianity.” These three volumes were coedited by Pelikan and Hotchkiss; a fourth volume, “Credo,” written by Pelikan alone, provides the added value of a general historical introduction. In addition to the scholarly context Pelikan provides in “Credo,” both edi­ tors also contribute a brief and more spe­ cific introduction to each text, which is followed by a citation for the edition used, translations (where necessary), and a brief bibliography on the text. In addition, each volume contains an exten­ sive bibliography and several very use­ ful indexes. One, bearing the editors’ ne­ ologism “Syndogmaticon,” is a concor­ dance of the individual topics found in the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed with those in the other texts in the col­ lection (this particular creed being cho­ sen as the standard by virtue of its rec­ ognition by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and all members of the World Council of Churches); this is followed by an alpha­ betical index to all terms that appear in the Syndogmaticon and thus, in a way, to the entire set. Pelikan and Hotchkiss also have in­ cluded an index to all churches, heresies, creeds, and councils included in their col­ lection, recognizing that one man’s church is another man’s heresy and that it can be tough to tell the players without a scorecard. After these comes a verse-by­ verse index to all scriptural references included in the collected texts and an in­ dex to names of persons encountered any­ where in the four volumes. All four in­ dexes appear conveniently in all four vol­ umes; the bibliography for “Credo” dif­ fers from that reproduced in the three volumes of texts. One might question the classification of these tomes as a reference work: They are essentially three full-text collections with an accompanying monograph. How does that qualify? The indexes, however, make a useful reference work all on their own; the work taken as a whole allows readers to consult, say, the Syndogmaticon or the index of Scriptural references in creedal texts and then have the texts themselves included as a bonus. One-stop shopping. This work is clearly almost indispens­ able for any theological library or for any university with a strong religion depart­ ment, although the price obviously will be a consideration for institutions with tight budgets. The inclusion of translations makes the work accessible to the under­ graduate, and the CD-ROM of original texts provides the textual tradition neces­ sary for more advanced scholars.—K.L.G. Encyclopedia of Religious Freedom. Ed. Catharine Cookson. Routledge Ency­ clopedia of Religion and Society. New York: Routledge, 2003. 555p. $188 (ISBN 0-415-94181-4). LC 2003-005354. The 140 alphabetically arranged articles discuss “seven major elements of religious freedom: key concepts, U.S. history, world history, world religions, major issues, mi­ nority groups and their rights, and key documents” (Introd.). Each entry is signed and includes a brief bibliography of works in English; references to relevant online sources are occasionally provided. These essays are even-handed, if a little sanguine, crediting, for example, the Brit­ ish Empire with spreading the idea of re­ ligious freedom. Though not intended for a scholarly audience, this should be a use­ ful introductory source.—M.C. Music Bradley, Carol June. Index to Poetry in Music: A Guide to the Poetry Set as Solo Songs by 125 Major Song Composers. New York; London: Routledge, 2003. 900p. $150 (ISBN 0-415-94302-7). LCCN 2003-271638. This work contains a comprehensive list­ ing of art songs by 125 Western classical composers. The single alphabetic listing includes names of composers and poets, as well as song titles, and first line of the 166 College & Research Libraries March 2004 text, if different from the title. Composer entries (in boldface) are the most inclusive, with sub-arrangement by poet and song title. Included with the song title is the date of composition, its publisher, and its loca­ tion within the collected works of the com­ poser. Poet entries (regular type) are sub- arranged by composer, with titles listed alphabetically followed by a separate title listing for song cycle titles with compos­ ers. Title entries (in italics) contain a “see reference” to the poet and composer; en­ tries for the first lines of text (in quotation marks) contain a “see reference” to the song title, poet, and composer. This guide for the musically knowl­ edgeable user pulls together an enormous wealth of information, from listing songs by individual composers to identifying settings of the same text by different com­ posers, from providing publication infor­ mation about song titles to locating indi­ vidual poems within larger works. This wealth of data is arranged in columns, and distinctive typefaces are used to iden­ tify the different data types (as indicated above). The result is a somewhat confus­ ing appearance on the text page, although the typeface examples in the pages’ footers provide help for the user.—E.D. Encyclopedia of World Pop Music 1980— 2001. Comp. Stan Jeffries. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Pr., 2003. 277p $54.95 illus. (ISBN 0-3133-1547-7). LCCN 2002-21627. One hundred thirty-three individuals or performing groups from forty-three dif­ ferent countries are listed alphabetically in this work. Inclusion is limited to those who achieved the largest number of record sales in their own country, with U.S. performers or popularity in the U.S. not relevant for inclusion. Entries are listed alphabetically by performer’s last name or name of the per­ forming group, with each entry contain­ ing an overview of the performer or group’s career, a discussion of their re­ corded output and chart placement in the native country, their influence on other artists, and one relevant Web site address. Appendices include a country breakdown of the performers, a list of the awards given in each country, and each country’s silver/gold/platinum sales requirements. A bibliography and index conclude the work.—E.D. Schneider, Tina M. Hymnal Collections of North America. Studies in Liturgical Musicology, no. 10. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Pr., 2003. 207p. $49.95 (ISBN 0-8108-4706-X). LCCN 2002-154948. Schneider lists 326 major library collections of hymnals in North America, as well as those in private hands where the owner allows access to researchers. The list is or­ ganized alphabetically by U.S. state or Canadian province, with sub-arrangement by city, followed by name of the institu­ tion or owner. An entry includes street address, contact and access information (personal contact, phone, fax, e-mail, etc.), and descriptive annotation. Following the directory entries is an extensive bibliogra­ phy organized into four parts: Studies of Hymnals by Denomination, Studies of Hymnals across Denominations, Descrip­ tions of Hymnal Collections, and Refer­ ence Works in Hymnology. Four indexes conclude the work: Index of Denomina­ tions and Religions; Index of Hymnal Lan­ guages and Places of Origin; General In­ dex; and Index of Chronological Holdings.—E.D. Cinema Keaney, Michael F. Film Noir Guide: 745 Films of the Classic Era, 1940–1959. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2003. 541p. illus. $75 (ISBN: 0-7864-1547-9). Coined by French critics after World War Two, “film noir” or “black film” defined an indigenous American form. Many of the films were directed by émigrés strongly influenced by the German Ex­ pressionist period and shared elements of alienation, obsession, crime and mur­ der, money, power, or sex. The films also are characterized by urban, almost always American, settings and defined by a dis­ tinct narrative and visual style. Despite these shared characteristics, film noir is Selected Reference Books, 2003 167 not easily characterized as a genre or movement or as a style of filmmaking. The Film Noir Guide, published by McFarland, is an attempt to expand and revise the canon of film noir films made during 1940–1959. Michael F. Keaney, a first-time author, identified (and viewed) the 745 films included in this guide. In comparison, Robert Ottoson’s A Reference Guide to the American Film Noir: 1940–1958 (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1981. 285p.) contains just over two hundred entries. Keaney’s enthusiasm for the material is evident. He feels close enough to his sub­ ject matter that he refers to the actor Humphrey Bogart as “Bogey.” Unfortu­ nately, this work does not contain any serious background or supplemental dis­ cussion, nor was it compiled with a cred­ ible methodology. It also does not make a clear distinction between those films con­ sidered film noir and those simply con­ taining “noir-like” elements. The format of the guide includes short plot summaries (without giving away the ending) for each film, release dates, main performers, screenwriters, directors, type of noir (his own highly subjective classi­ fication), film’s thematic content, and a rating based on a very subjective five-star system. In addition, appendices provide lists by director, type, year of release, a guide to building an affordable collection (including taping from TV), a bibliogra­ phy, and an index. The methodology used to complete the list is uneven in credibility. Keaney de­ scribes pulling titles from books on film noir, Internet lists, personal recommenda­ tions, films advertised by video dealers as film noir, and films described by film his­ torians and critics as being in the noir style. As a result, Keaney has expanded the canon of film noir to include westerns, comedies, and period films. Basically, he has included genres generally excluded from film noir classification. If his inten­ tion is to open the discourse on film noir, he should at least provide an argument or discussion for doing so. Keaney does ac­ knowledge, however, that some purists may disagree with this work. Instead, justifications for the entries are cited in the categories of type of noir and film noir themes. This classification is highly subjective and broad-ranging. The film noir types include: boxing, gambling, heist, triangle, impersonator, horror, wrong woman, fantasy, on the run, good twin-bad twin, horse opera, hostage, gangster, religion, Nazi, psycho—the list goes on. The film noir themes range from obsession, jealousy, and greed to revenge, betrayal, and so on. Supplemental information such as the actors who went on to television stardom has nothing to do with the content of the work. This information might be better served in a separate reference work with focus on actors who went from the big to the small screen. Equally, the star rating system and noir moments work well in resources such as the online Internet Movie Database but lose utility in this reference work. This type of e-entertain­ ment information does not serve a signifi­ cant purpose in a reference guide on film noir. Another disturbing curiosity of this work is the appendix entitled “How to Build an Affordable Collection—includ­ ing Taping from TV.” The reader might want to check copyright status before fol­ lowing this advice. Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward’s Film Noir: An Encyclopedia Reference to the American Style (1992. 479p. BH224n) re­ mains the standard reference work on film noir. Now in its third edition, the single-volume work is a more conserva­ tive catalog of film noir films. More im­ portantly, the introduction and the appen­ dices lay out the issues of debate of style, genre, or auteurish study, providing the reader with a basis for study and under­ standing of each film’s inclusion. The appendices provide discussion on why westerns, comedies, and gangster films, though sharing many elements of film noir, are not film noir. “The determining factors in excluding productions from the comedy, gangster, Western, and period genres are simple. The concept that the action of film noir must be grounded in a 168 College & Research Libraries March 2004 contemporary setting excludes Westerns and period films. The concept that film noir must have a narrative that is dramati­ cally developed with an underlying seri­ ousness and verisimilitude in exposition excludes comedies. The concept of a com­ plex protagonist with an existential awareness of his or her situation excludes the gangster film” (Appendix A). Keaney acknowledges that the film noir debate over genre, style, or movement is ongoing but does nothing to fuel the de­ bate or alert his readers to the fact that even though a film is included in the Film Noir Guide, it is not necessarily a film noir film. He states, “While it’s not within the scope of this book to go into detail about the on­ going controversy over the definition of ‘film noir,’ I will say a few words about it. (A few of the many books that cover this in great detail are included in the bibliogra­ phy for those who want to delve further into this interesting, but futile, debate.) Some film historians and critics believe that film noir is a genre, while others believe it’s simply a style. Some squeeze themselves right into the middle, claiming it’s a genre in which style plays an important part. Oth­ ers say it began as a style within the B film genre and developed into a genre itself. Still others believe it’s a “movement” or a “cycle.” Most film noir fans I speak with tell me that they don’t really care whether it’s a genre or a style or a cycle. It’s all very interesting, they say, but they’d rather leave the argument to the professors and critics to iron out. It takes time away from collect­ ing and viewing these incredible films, some of which are masterpieces of Ameri­ can moviemaking and some of which are turkeys” (Pref.). Clearly, this work is not intended for researchers or scholars.—N.E.F. Making Pictures: A Century of European Cinematography, Created by Imago, The Federation of European Cinema­ tographers. New York: Abrams, 2003. 464p. $65 (ISBN: 0-8109-4385-9). LCCN 2003-102210 Making Pictures: A Century of European Cinematography is a celebration of cinema­ tographers and the art of filmmaking and is nothing less than a stunning achieve­ ment. It is a handsome work in celebra­ tion of the cinematographer as creative artist and collaborator, not only as a tech­ nician and camera operator. The work was created by IMAGO, the European Federation of National Cinematographers Associations, an organization founded to uphold the highest standards achieved by the cinematography profession, and pub­ lished by Harrry N. Abrams, who is con­ sidered to be one of the preeminent American publishers of high-quality art and illustrated books. (Abrams recently published Robert Sklar ’s Film: A World History of Film. 2003). The textual content of the book begins with essays by film­ makers including several cinematogra­ phers (e.g., Sven Nykvist), the director Bernardo Bertolucci, and the actor Marcello Mastroianni. The filmmakers discuss their craft, their relationship to cinematography, and the art of filmmak­ ing. Not simply anecdotal, these short essays are rich in insight and shared ex­ perience, highlighting the essential inter­ play between cinematographers and all other filmmakers involved in the shoot­ ing. What follows is an extensive and richly informative history of European cinema­ tography, actually a history of European cinema. The history begins with the early photographic technologies and advances through the silent period, Germany in the Weimar period, avant-garde, talkies, color, and beyond. Even though the fo­ cus is on the advancements in filmmak­ ing technologies such as camera work and lighting; the essay provides a rich history identifying key directors, films, genres, and movements. This discussion is fol­ lowed by an extended essay on cinema­ tographers and their medium. This entry discusses cinematographers as artists and how essential their role is as creative col­ laborators versus merely technicians. The central focus of the book contains a hundred feature films, chosen by jury, rep­ resenting the highest quality of European cinematography. The films are discussed Selected Reference Books, 2003 169 in relation to the cinematographer’s work, why lighting and technical choices were made for effect and purpose. The films are arranged chronologically—generally, one per year beginning with 1895–1995. The entries are well written and provide a dis­ cussion of the cinematographic highlights of each film. The entries are brilliantly en­ hanced by exquisite still photographic re­ productions that illustrate the techniques of lighting, focus, and camera work used in the film. The stills are annotated with specifics on how the scene was shot and lit from varying angles, providing the nec­ essary visual component to understand­ ing concepts and techniques of filmmak­ ing. The photographic reproductions are of the highest quality and found through­ out the book. The catalog of films is then followed by an extensive and informative section entitled the “Tools of the Trade,” which provides an in-depth history of cameras and equipment. Bibliographic references and indexes are included. This title is essential for academic li­ braries supporting a film studies program and highly recommended for all other li­ braries, academic and public.—N.E.F. Sports Loverro, Thom. The Encyclopedia of Negro League Baseball. New York: Facts on File, 2003. 368 p. $75 (ISBN 0-8160­ 4430-9). LCCN 2003-01075. Written by a Washington Times sports col­ umnist, this encyclopedia does not re­ place the more detailed and complete Bio­ graphical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James A. Riley (N.Y.: Carroll & Graf, 1994. 926p.). But it does offer new stories, anecdotes and quotations, and photographs of players, managers, and teams, which makes it a valuable addi­ tion to any large reference collection. In­ dexed, with a brief bibliography that sur­ prisingly does not mention the Riley encyclopedia or John Holway’s Complete Book of Baseball’s Negro Leagues (Fern Park, Fla.: Hastings House, 2001. 510p.), the standard compilation of Negro League player statistics.—S.S.W. Political Science Graham, Thomas Jr., and Damien J. LaVera. Cornerstones of Security: Arms Control Treaties in the Nuclear Era. Se­ attle: Univ. of Washington Pr., 2003. 1,487p. $125 (ISBN 0-295-98296-9). LCCN 2003-1145 This resource owes its existence to efforts undertaken in the 1970s by the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) to compile the texts of disarmament trea­ ties. That effort resulted in the publication of Arms Control and Disarmament Agree­ ments: Texts and Histories of Negotiations, which was partially updated in 1996. Cor­ nerstones of Security builds on that useful en­ deavor. Essentially, it provides the text of treaties related to containing and halting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruc­ tion. It also adopts a broader focus and in­ cludes more recent treaties seeking to re­ strain small arms trafficking and to ban land mines. The layout of the treaties is chrono­ logical with an introduction and a conclu­ sion serving as contextualizing bookends. Each treaty is prefaced by a new or updated summary and analysis in which the authors place the treaty within an historical and in­ ternational context. Both Graham and LaVera infuse the book with their own personal and pro­ fessional insight and knowledge in the field. Before retiring in 1997, Graham served as acting director of the ACDA and as U.S. Special Ambassador for Dis­ armament. He is the author of Disarma­ ment Sketches: Three Decades of Arms Con­ trol and International Law. Currently, Gra­ ham serves as chairman and LaVera as coordinator of the Lawyers Alliance for World Security, based in Washington, D.C. The book includes a list of abbrevia­ tions and acronyms, an appendix with country names affiliated with a treaty, date of country’s signature, and date of deposit of ratification. It is oriented to­ ward diplomats, international lawyers, arms control specialists, and researchers in the field of international security. Rec­ ommended for specialized reference col­ lections.—F. H. D. 170 College & Research Libraries March 2004 History Campbell, Gordon. The Oxford Dictionary of the Renaissance. New York: Oxford Univ. Pr., 2003. 862p. illus. $150 (ISBN 0-19-860175-1). The Renaissance is roughly defined as a time period from 1415 to 1618, with some geographical variants. This is basically a dictionary of cultural history of early modern Europe excluding Arabic, Celtic, and Ottoman territories, but with an em­ phasis on Continental Europe. Political figures are, however, included as patrons of arts and as the background to intellec­ tual history. The editor treats culture broadly including law, theology, science, and popular culture. The book is intended for specialists who seek information out­ side their specialization, students looking for introductory work, and general read­ ers in need of a reference guide. Preceding the usual alphabetical en­ tries is the thematic index, which ar­ ranges article themes by subject field. For example, under the “Thought in the Re­ naissance,” one finds subdivisions such as “Philosophy in the Renaissance,” “Philosophers,” “Political Philoso­ phers,” “Polemicists,” and “Theolo­ gians.” Then, under “Philosophy in the Renaissance,” topics such as Cicero in the Renaissance and Vindicae contra tyrannos are grouped. The thematic index is not a complete index of articles. The fact should have been spelled out. “Religion in the Renais­ sance” has a subdivision titled “Protes­ tant Reformers and Leaders,” which in­ cludes Martin Luther and a number of other leaders. Neither Calvin nor Théodore de Bèze appears there, although there are articles under their names in the main body of the book. Articles are short to medium in length and have a short bibliography, often a reference to one of the standard, major biographical and subject dictionaries such as DNB (Dictionary of National Biography. AH226). Most cited references are in En­ glish. The book is illustrated with black­ and-white photographs of art works. The appendices section has a table of ruling houses; place names in imprints; a table of the dates when the Gregorian calen­ dar was adopted in states, cities, bishop­ rics, etc.; and, finally, “Ligatures and Con­ tractions in Renaissance Greek.” Recommended to anyone who is inter­ ested in the complex and varied manifes­ tations of the Renaissance throughout the 200-year history of Europe.—J.S. Cook, Chris, and John Stevenson. Longman Handbook of Twentieth-century Europe. London, New York: Pearson/ Longman, 2003. 404p. maps. $28 (ISBN 0-582-23508-1). The two authors of British Historical Facts (DC323n) and Longman Handbooks on Mod­ ern Europe (DC21) now offer this hand­ book for the study of Europe in the 20th century. The emphasis is on political, so­ cial, and economic history. The book is di­ vided into seven sections. The first sec­ tion is a collection of chronological tables by topic, such as Fascist Italy, the Holo­ caust, and formation of the European Union. Section two consists of lists of heads of state by country (sovereigns, presidents, prime ministers, etc.) with dates. Section three covers armed conflicts in and out of Europe from Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905) to the ongoing Russia- Chechnya war in paragraph-length de­ scriptions, followed by chronological tables of nuclear rivalry and arms control since 1945, wars of decolonization, trea­ ties and alliances, and international orga­ nizations. Sections four through six are respec­ tively “Social and Economic History,” “Biographies,” and “Glossary of Terms.” “Social and Economic History” consists of statistical tables (population, key com­ modities such as wheat, coal, oil, and elec­ tricity) and chronological tables (religious history, women, social welfare). Some of the statistical tables are reprinted from Mitchell’s European Historical Statistics (CG189). “Biographies” has succinct de­ scriptions of the role each person played in 20th-century European history and in­ cludes a wide range of statesmen, politi­ cians, and soldiers from Clemenceau to Selected Reference Books, 2003 171 Berlusconi. It includes not only Hitler and De Gaulle, but also Anne Frank and Cohn-Bendit. “Glossary of Terms” pro­ vides concise and clear definitions of terms that frequently appear in discus­ sions of 20th-century European history and politics. The final section, “Topical Bibliography,” is a bibliographical essay with lists of sources, documents, and sec­ ondary works arranged by time period and country. Along with sources, a few essay topics are suggested. The book ends with ten maps depicting Europe from 1914 to 1997 and the convenient subject index. This is a useful addition to history and political science collections in college and university libraries.—J.S. Encyclopaedia AEthiopica. Ed. Siegbert Uhlig. Wiesbaden, Ger.: Harrasowitz Verlag, 2003. Vol. 1 (ISBN 3-447-04746­ 1). (In progress, to be in five volumes.) Given the current fashion among many publishers for “encyclopedias” that are really little more than random collections of essays on a more or less cohesive topic, it is refreshing to be able to greet the ap­ pearance of a subject encyclopedia that makes a truly new contribution to the ref­ erence field and is surely destined to be the classic resource in its area for years to come. Encyclopaedia AEthiopica sets out to document the history, society, and culture of the peoples and politics on the terri­ tory of present-day Ethiopia and Eritrea, from prehistoric times down to the middle of the 20th century. The unique and complex matrix of cultures whose development can be traced here over the course of many centuries has long at­ tracted the attention of an international community of scholars, because of both its intrinsic fascination and the interest­ ing comparative light its peculiar mix of African, Christian, Islamic, and Jewish elements sheds on the history of each of those traditions. Throughout much of that history, the region has been remote—or even isolated—from the rest of the world, and even today, it remains poorly known to the average educated reader and only partially covered by mainstream reference sources. Hence, the value of this broad new information source. The collective work of a large interna­ tional team that includes many of the leading specialists in the field, the ency­ clopedia will, when completed, consist of four volumes of text and an additional index and supplement volume. Judging from the one volume currently available, the more than 4,000 articles it contains will cover a broad range of topics, including biographies of political, cultural, and re­ ligious figures and prominent scholars of Ethiopia; overviews of individual ethnic groups and languages; and discussions of historical events; literary works; geol­ ogy and geography; plant and animal life; cultural artifacts; economic activities; art, architecture, and antiquities; titles and offices; liturgical forms and theological issues; institutions and laws; holidays and customs; and much more. Among the many achievements of this survey is the detailed coverage given to the whole range of peoples and cultures of the re­ gion, in contrast to the heavy emphasis on the Semitic-language peoples of the highlands found in many other surveys. Individual articles are signed and include an authoritative list of sources and sec­ ondary literature. The text is supple­ mented with a generous number of illus­ trations, maps, and charts. Extensive cross-references direct the reader to re­ lated entries. Given the excellence of the coverage provided, it is somewhat disappointing that the editors have chosen not to treat the events of Ethiopian revolution and the country’s experience under a Marxist re­ gime, except in occasional passing refer­ ences. After all, this is now something of a closed chapter in the region’s history and one that surely had a profound im­ pact on the world presented to us here. Certainly, there are many other sources documenting the more recent history of Ethiopia and Eritrea, but it is unfortunate that we do not have the chance to benefit from the expertise of this team of special­ 172 College & Research Libraries March 2004 ists and their colleagues in addressing those questions as well. By any measure, this is an outstanding achievement, comparable in its authority and scholarship to such classic reference sources as The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Lexikon des Mittelalters, or Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques. It will certainly serve as a reliable reference for specialists in the field but should pro­ vide valuable guidance for the beginning student and layperson as well. Indeed, given the wealth of information it brings together from sources not readily available in every collection and the rich system of cross-references, the set will be able to serve as a very browsable, hypertextual in­ troduction to Ethiopian studies in general. It belongs in every library with serious cov­ erage of Ethiopia and African studies, but it should be seriously considered as well for collections where it could serve as the single key source for the region’s history and culture.—R.H.S. Golay, Michael, and John S. Bowman. North American Exploration. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley, 2003. 518p. illus. $40 (ISBN 0-471-39148-4). LCCN 2002­ 27434. This is a handsome volume with lots of white space, attractive typeface, clear and relevant illustrations. The text is well written and arranged in seven parts geo­ graphically then chronologically: (1) “North America before Columbus”; (2) “The Spanish Enter the New World, 1492– 1635”; (3) “Atlantic Seaboard, 1497–1680”; (4) “Exploring West of the Mississippi, 1635–1800”; (5) “From the Appalachians to the Mississippi, 1540–1840”; (6) “Across the North American Continent, 1720– 1880”; (7) “The Arctic and Northernmost Region, 1576–1992.” Within each section, alphabetically arranged, there are short essays for explorers, expeditions, geo­ graphical areas (e.g., Blue Ridge Moun­ tains). Many of the entries are accompa­ nied by a portrait of the explorer, photograph of the area, or a brief extract from a letter, diary, or report with the title of the source. The volume ends with a bibliography of books arranged to accompany each part (pp. 493–97), and an index (pp. 498–518). One could quibble about the lack of some entries in the index (e.g., the Lost Colony does not appear nor is it a cross-reference under Roanoke Colony, Outer Banks, or North Carolina). North America is defined as including Mexico, Central America, the Islands of the Caribbean, the United States, Canada, Greenland, and the Arctic Regions up to the North Pole. Disputed claims are de­ scribed (e.g., the Greek, the Chinese; dis­ cussed are instruments and methods of navigation, the papal bull that made Bra­ zil part of the Portuguese empire). The last entry in the volume is for Hubert Wilkins, who after flying over the Arctic, bought a submarine from the U.S. Navy for one dollar and tried to sail under the Arctic to the North Pole. This did not work be­ cause the sub had to surface every 125 miles.—E.M. Smele, Jonathan D. The Russian Revolu­ tion and Civil War, 1917–1921. London, New York: Continuum, 2003. 625p. $110 (ISBN 0-8264-5618-9). In many respects, this work represents the very best in subject bibliography. To begin with, it fills a critical need because, incredibly enough, there has not been, to date, a comprehensive annotated bibliog­ raphy devoted to the English (and West European) language literature on the Rus­ sian Revolutions and Civil War of 1917– 1921, a key turning point not only in the history of Russia, but of the world as well. As author Jonathan Smele notes, readers looking for coverage of this literature have been able, in the last few years, to make good use of Murray Frame’s The Russian Revolution, 1905–1921: A Biblio­ graphic Guide to Works in English (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1995), but that work’s broader chronological range, smaller number of overall entries, and absence of annotations did not preclude the need for a fuller work such as the one under review here. Moreover, although no volume dealing with as vast a topic as Selected Reference Books, 2003 173 this can ever claim full comprehensive­ ness, this one probably comes as close as practicably possible to that goal. The breadth of coverage is impressive: A series of twenty-five sections surveys bibliographies and reference works; documentary and narrative sources; gen­ eral surveys and studies of specific stages and events of the revolution and civil war; the late imperial Russian background (a selection of works only); the Russian army; early Soviet state, society, economy, and foreign policy; contemporary foreign reactions; German occupation and Allied intervention; the White movement and popular resistance to the Bolsheviks; the history and leaders of the Bolshevik and other key political parties; workers and urban society; the peasantry and agricul­ ture; national minorities and regional af­ fairs; and (more selective coverage of) the arts, science, culture, education, religion, and historical fiction. Among the areas that seem to have much fuller treatment here than in earlier surveys are the exten­ sive coverage of non-Russian groups and areas and an examination of the revolu­ tionary events in the context of the broader upheaval of the First World War. It is hard to miss the fact that purely so­ cial historical treatments are far overshad­ owed by political and military treatments, but this is probably a reflection of the lit­ erature itself: a quick examination of online bibliographic sources did not un­ cover any obvious areas of omission. The real glory of this work, however, lies in its annotations. An incredible amount of careful, intelligent work has gone into their creation. It is an impres­ sive achievement. The reader is provided, typically, with a substantive statement of the significance and quality of the work, and frequently with a précis of its main thesis, and often with some indication of where it fits into the general schools of historiography. In many cases, these ab­ stracts rise to the level of capsule reviews. Every secondary work that was examined (and most of them were) is provided with such an annotation, as are many of the primary sources, except for items such as contemporary newspaper accounts whose titles already make the focus of their coverage clear. Arguably, no specialist on the revolu­ tion will want to ignore this work. Indeed, one can anticipate it becoming part of the stock in trade of all graduate students in Russian history. Indeed, anyone doing re­ search or writing on the revolution should probably consult this bibliography. But there’s the rub. In an age of increas­ ing online access to bibliography, infor­ mation seekers are turning less and less frequently to print sources, a fact reflected dramatically in the field of publishing. (A search for books with the word “bibliog­ raphy” in their title or subject heading in the OCLC database reveals a steep and steady decline in the genre, from a high of 11,420 hits with an imprint date of 1980 to just 4,251 with an imprint date of 2000.) Indeed, the book itself invites some frus­ trating comparisons with an online for­ mat. The number of cross-references is minimal, and there is only an author in­ dex, so that, one must carefully navigate the very detailed table of contents to find the material one needs. Even though there is rich information in the annotations, one can benefit from it only if one has the time and commitment to browse. It is to be hoped that the publishers of good subject bibliographies in print will soon find strategies for delivering that content in some type of electronic format. An individual doing research on the rail­ roads in the revolution, or Vladivostok, or War Communism in this valuable col­ lection would benefit enormously from even a simple keyword search. Smele has done a superb job of describing the lit­ erature of this topic. That valuable con­ tent could be exploited much more effec­ tively were it to be presented in the for­ mats now possible as a result of evolving technology.—R.H.S. History, United States Atlas of American Military History. Ed. James C. Bradford. New York: Oxford Univ. Pr., 2003. 245p. illus. $50 (ISBN 0-19-521661-X). LC 2003-037907. 174 College & Research Libraries March 2004 This is a collection of illustrated essays by various scholars discussing military engagements by the United States, ar­ ranged chronologically from the Colonial Wars (1512–1774) to the Post-Cold War Era: 1900– (which includes the 2001 Af­ ghanistan War). Some essays are on spe­ cific wars, such as the Civil War or the Spanish-American War, but many deal with general themes, such as “The Growth of the Professional Army: 1815– 60” or “America’s Rise to World Power: 1867—1917,” making this more a survey of America’s military past than a true military atlas. Students wanting a very detailed illus­ tration of the progress of the battle of Gettysburg, for example, will need more than the 4” x 6” drawing in the chapter on the American Civil War, but the 30­ page essay is a very good introduction to the military aspects of the war overall. There is a bibliography at the end of the book, arranged by chapter heading, so a student can get very useful further leads, and this should serve as a useful introduction to the subject.—M.C. U.S. Congressional Serial Set-Digital Edi­ tion. Newsbank, 2003–. Available online from http://infoweb.newsbank.com/. Subscription price varies; $152,000 for large ARL institutions. The Serial Set’s more than 13,000 volumes are an essential source of American his­ tory, (AF87-AF91 and p. 254) and Newsbank is making it available online. Currently the 15th, 16th, and 17th Con­ gresses (1817–1823) have been issued, and December 2008 is the projected comple­ tion date. Though the dates covered are listed as 1817–1980, the American State Papers are promised in the subscription price. The contents of the Serial Set are broad, and Newsbank has created subject head­ ings for each document; these are new headings, not related to those used in the CIS US Serial Set Index (AF87). The use of a controlled vocabulary instead of relying on the ambiguities and confusion of full-text searching (especially when vocabulary has varied so much over 200 years) is welcome, but the subject indexing is a bit problem­ atic. The subjects are grouped under eigh­ teen broad topics, such as armed forces and conflicts, health, international affairs, so­ cial issues, and narrower terms are listed if the reader clicks on one of those head­ ings. There are no cross-references or links, so basically a careful user would have to read through several hundred terms to make sure he did a thorough subject search. (What will happen when 150 years’ worth of subjects is included is anybody’s guess.) Some Indian tribes, for example, are listed among “Groups of People,” “Pro­ fessions,” etc., alphabetically by tribal name amidst all other groups. “Indians” (51 entries) is also among “Groups of People,” but it is not clear whether the publications relating to the individual tribes are included in that number. Nor is it clear how much authority work has been done: What tribe are the Stockbridge Indi­ ans? Indian tribes are also among the terms listed under “Social Issues” (along with such terms as art, corporal punishment, sedition, reference sources, and many other seemingly unrelated terms). A series of unrelated, single words does not appear to be a really useful way to index the vast and varied resources of the Serial Set. The searching, too, is problematic. There is a simple search, which allows for a single term (though searches can be re­ fined within one of the eighteen subject areas), and an advanced search, which allows for two terms, or to “not out” a term. Because many of the publications apply to private individuals, it should be possible to eliminate these, but though “not personal name” is an option, it doesn’t seem to work. It is possible to limit the search to reports on public (as op­ posed to private) bills, but this does not appear to apply to documents. It is also possible to search by title. Of course, titles of items in the Serial Set are somewhat fluid, as titles in the various offi­ cial and unofficial sources sometimes vary. I tried a few titles listed in the Guide to Ameri­ can Indian Documents in the Congressional Serial Set: 1817–1899, some of which did not http:http://infoweb.newsbank.com Selected Reference Books, 2003 175 turn up as cited. I also tried searching the titles from a volume of the Serial Set itself; the titles on the items themselves were all found, but some of the titles as listed in the table of contents took some ingenuity to locate. Of course, it is impossible to imag­ ine how any source could come up with all the various titles that have been used, but there could be some context sensitive help which explains the issues. The problems with subject and title searches are probably fairly minor be­ cause many, if not most, people using the Serial Set will come to it via another refer­ ence and will have the Congress and the report or document number. Unfortu­ nately, searching by number is even more confusing than searching by title or sub­ ject. I could find no guidance in the help screens, under either simple or advanced searching. The standard convention of 15-1 (Fifteenth Congress, first session) does not turn up anything. There is no example or explanation of searching for reports or documents, which is, of course, what makes up the Serial Set. There is a search term called “publication number,” but no further clues are given. Playing around with various styles, I found that an advanced search of 15/1 as the Con­ gress/session number and h.doc 60 as the publication number found H.doc 60 for both sessions. There does not appear to be a simple way to figure out how this most elementary and basic search is done, though items can be found using persis­ tence and imagination. It is possible to print a single page, se­ lected pages, or the entire document, so when the items are located, this is a very useful source. However, libraries consid­ ering purchase may want to examine the forthcoming LexisNexis version of the Serial Set as well.—M.C. Women’s Studies McDevitt, Theresa. Women and the Ameri­ can Civil War: An Annotated Bibliogra­ phy. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2003. 245p. Bibliographies and Indexes in Women’s Studies, 32. $64.95 (ISBN 0­ 313-32105-1). LCCN 2003-047239. This is a very useful bibliography on the contribution of women to the Civil War effort. It has a topical arrangement, with sections on: soldier ’s aid; medical and re­ lief services; aid to freed people; economic challenges and opportunities; women in the war zone; spies, scouts, smugglers, and raiders; and women in camp. Each chap­ ter includes an introduction giving a chro­ nological overview of the topics and iden­ tifying important and primary and secondary texts. This is followed by an annotated bibliography of entries arranged by author. If the text is available in “Mak­ ing of America” or other Internet collec­ tions, the URL is listed. Each chapter closes with annotated lists of Internet sites. There also are three general sections: “Reference Works,” “Introductory Works,” and “An­ thologies,” which is further subdivided by topic (e.g., Southern women, state and lo­ cal studies); and other topics not fully ex­ plored (including military wives and daughters, and women in public life). It concludes with author and subject indexes. With only 800 entries, Women and the American Civil War does not provide com­ prehensive access to the topic. It cites 19th-century books, but no 19th-century periodical articles, and most of the 20th­ century articles cited could be found searching America: History and Life (DB24). This is nonetheless an excellent introduc­ tion to the topic, one that lists all of the important resources and will be indis­ pensable to reference librarians in librar­ ies of all sizes.—S.S.W. New Editions and Supplements Continuum has reissued its Encyclopedia of American Literature (1999. 1305p.), which is now called the Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature (2003. 1305p. $49.95). Both are edited by Steven Serafin. The dif­ ference seems to be the addition of some death dates. Peel’s Bibliography of the Canadian Prai­ ries to 1953 in its third edition has reached 7,429 entries with 1,103 more in the an­ notations (eds. Ernie B. Ingles and N. Merrill Distad. Toronto: Univ. Toronto Pr., 2003. xxviii, 899p. il. $125; 1st ed. 1956; 2d 176 College & Research Libraries ed.1973. (DB216). The cut-off date, 1953, is a reflection of the beginning of the Na­ tional Library of Canada’s copyright de­ posit program. Peel is Bruce Braden Peel, the compiler of the first edition. The au­ thor index includes biographical notes. Papers of British Antiquaries and Histori­ ans is volume 12 of the Guides to Sources for British History (DC287), now issued by The National Archives formed by the merger of the Historical Manuscripts Commission and the Public Record Office (London: 2003. 246p. £30). The volume identifies and briefly “describes the papers of thirteen hundred antiquaries and historians, gene­ alogists, heralds, archaeologists and oth­ ers working in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland between the mid-fifteenth and the late twentieth century” (back cover). For each, it gives a brief descriptive phrase, the institution holding the papers, and an in­ dication of the contents and any published guides. Tom Zaniello has reissued his amus­ ingly titled guide: Working Stiffs, Union March 2004 Maids, Reds, and Riffraff: An Expanded Guide to Films about Labor (Ithaca: ILR Pr./Cornell University Press, 2003. 434p. $24.95, 1st ed. 1996). Now intended to cover 350 films, most available in videocassette, it now is global with films from every major coun­ try or geographical area (e.g., the Carib­ bean). Representative titles include 10,000 Black Men Called George, I Can Get It for You Wholesale, The Solid Gold Cadillac, Tobacco Road, and the Gold Diggers of 1933. Reviews for further reading are included. The Dictionary of Bibliographic Abbreviations Found in the Scholarship of Classical Studies has grown from 393 to 684 pages (Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2003. $19.95. 1st ed. 1983. BE1019). Jean Susorney Wellington, the com­ piler, had added some 1,250 new titles, in­ cluded abbreviations for Internet resources, and added more regional and archaeologi­ cal publications. No longer “limited to jour­ nals, series, and standard monographic works,” “classical studies” has been defined broadly to cover all aspects of ancient Greece, Rome, and now “allied fields.”